Booth assembly

ABSTRACT

A booth assembly or the like includes a plurality of panels which contain slotted apertures. A U-shaped fastener member is inserted through the apertures of adjacent panels and is anchored at one end to a first of the panels and the other end to the other panel by a wedge member which is inserted through the Ushaped fastener member. The panels may be arranged in side-byside relationship or at angles to each other and in one embodiment a strip may be further sandwiched between the panels for supporting shelving. In another embodiment a smooth cover sheet may be provided on a face of each of the panels and anchored in position by a strip which is also sandwiched between the respective panels.

United States atom l 13,604,774

[72] Inventor john R. Furman 2,987,362 6/1961 Bernath 312/264 X Chicago,111. 3,197,265 7/1965 Rand 312/263 X [21 1 p 778258 PrimaryExaminer-Patrick D1 Lawson [22] Filed Nov. 22, 1968 A sslstantExammerGeorge V. Larkln [45] Patented Sept'14197l AttorneysE ManninGiles J Patrick Ca me and PeterS [73] Assignee Rae Systems, Inc. L g g yucyshyn Chlcago, Ill.

[54] BOOTH ASSEMBLY ABSTRACT: booth assembly or the like includes aplurality 7 Claims 9 Drawing Figs of panels which contain slottedapertures. A U-shaped fastener member IS inserted through the aperturesof ad acent [52] U.S. 1,1 312/263 panels and is anchored a one end to afi f th panels d 151 I A47) 47/00 the other end to the other panel by awedge member which is Search" 312/257 inserted through the U-shapedfastener member. The panels 263, 264, l l 1, 107, 108, 140, 198, 14 -1may be arranged in side-by-side relationship or at angles to 56 R f deach other and in one embodiment a strip may be further I l e erencessandwiched between the panels for supporting shelving. ln UNITED STATESPATENTS another embodiment a smooth cover sheet may be provided1,173,872 2/1916 Ruse 312/140 on a face of each of the panels andanchored in position by :1 2,172,266 9/1939 Whitaker 312/107 strip whichis also sandwiched between the respective panels.

BOOTH ASSEMBLY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION together, disassembly of thebooth is time consuming and generally results in damage to the panels.Where C-clamps are used to hold the panels together, the C-clamps aredifficult to manipulate and time consuming to arrange in position andfrequently became loose after assembly resulting in a unstable boothassembly. Moreover the C-clamps areeach relatively expensive and thustheir use results in increased cost of the booth assembly and the clampsfrequently protrude from the assembly causing an unkempt appearance.

The booth of the like constructed in accordance with the principles ofmy invention obviates the aforementioned difficulties. Each of heindividual panels is assembled and held in position by a simple,inexpensive and uniform fastening assembly which may be employed tofasten together panels of varying configurations with equal facility.The fastening assembly of may invention is also capable of being easilyconcealed from view from the front of the finally assembled boothpresenting a clean and tidy exterior appearance. Moreover the fasteningassembly of my invention may be readily used toattach panels together ineither side-by-side relationship or in angular relationship with respectto each other. The fastening assembly may also be utilized to secure inplace a shelf-holding construction and/or a smooth cover panel sheet inthe final assembly. Finally, the assembly of may invention is capable ofeasy and rapid assembly and disassembly by relatively untrained andunskilled personnel.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A booth assembly or the like constructed inaccordance with the principles of my invention includes a plurality ofpanels juxtaposed with respect to each other. An aperture is defined ina reenforcing frame of a first of the panels and an elongatessubstantially U-shaped fastener member, which is mounted on a second ofthe panels, extends through and beyond the aperture. A wedge memberextends through the U-shaped fastener member and urges the U-shapedmember in the direction of the extension firmly attaching the first andsecond panels together to form the booth.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will be more clearly understood through a consideration of thefollowing detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the course of this description,reference will frequently be made to the attached drawings in which:

FIG. I is an overall partially exploded view of a display boothemploying the fastener assembly of my invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan cross sectional view showing the fastener assembly andpanel arrangement taken along line 2-2 of FIG.

. FIG. 3 is an elevation view of the assembly taken along line 3-3 ofFIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of an embodiment of the U- shaped fastenerand wedge members of my invention;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary isometric view of a shelf standard employed inthe assembly of my invention;

FIG. 6 is a cross sectioned plan view of another embodiment of panelarrangement of my invention wherein the panels each have a flat sheetcovering their faces which is held to each panel by the fastenerassembly of my invention;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary isometric view of the sheet-covering-holdingmember;

FIG. 8 is a plan cross sectioned view of a panel assembly wherein thepanels arearranged angularly with respect to each other and showinganother embodiment of fastener member of my invention; and

FIG. 9 is an isometric view of the fastener member of FIG. 8.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIG. 1, a displaybooth is shown in partially exploded form which is constructed of aplurality of back, top and side panels 10, 11 and 12 respectively, whichare juxtaposed with respect to each other to form a booth enclosure.Panel 12 forms a side of the booth and comprises a flat planar sheet ofmaterial. The back of the booth is comprised of panels 10 which also areformed of a flat sheet of planar material 13 and include a reenforcingframe 14 comprised of vertical l6 and horizontal members 17 attached tothe back face thereof. The top panels 11 are constructed in asubstantially similar manner as panels 10, but are generally smaller inshape and include an aperture 18 for the installation of illuminationfor the display booth. Separating the vertical members 16 of each of therespective panel frames, is a shelf standard strip 20 which carries anapertured'elongated track 22 along its vertical edge, the aperture ofthe track being adapted to receive the hooks of conventional shelfbrackets 24 for supporting the shelves of the display booth.

Each of the vertical members 16 of the reenforcing frames of panels 10and the shelf standard strip 20 include, respectively, a plurality ofspaced slotted apertures 26 and 27. Generally U-shaped fastener members28 are inserted through at least some of the slotted apertures 26 of thereenforcing frames of two adjacent panels 10 and through the slottedapertures 27 of the intermediate shelf standard strip 20. Each of theU-shaped fastener members 28 is bent laterally from the longitudinalaxis thereof to form flanges 30. To assemble the two adjacent panels 10together, the U-shaped fastener member 28 is inserted through theaperture 26 of a first of the panels 10, through the aperture 27 in theshelf standard strip 20 and through the aperture 26 in the second of thepanels 10 extending beyond the last-mentioned aperture. A wedgeshapedmember 32 is inserted through the extended portion of the U-shapedmember 20, the wedge member 32 being of increasing width from end toend. The wedge-shaped member 32 includes a flange portion 33 to providean increased area tapping surface and avoid any possibility of the wedgepassing through the extended portion of the U-shaped member. To affixthe adjacent panels together, the wedge member 32 is tapped in adownward direction, as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 3, the edge of the wedgemember contacting the bight of the U- shaped member urging the U-shapedfastener member 28 to the left. The U-shaped member moves to the leftuntil its flanges 30 abut against the frame stopping further movement ofmember 28 to the left. The vertical members 16 of the frame and theshelf standard strip 20 are thus affixed together in close sandwichedrelationship between the flanges 30 of the U-shaped fastener member 28on one side and the edge 34 on the other.

Referring again to FIG. I, the flat side panel 12 is also attached toone 'of the adjacent vertical members 16 of the frame of one of thepanels 10 by a U-shaped fastener member 28 and wedge-member 32. Slottedapertures are provided in the panel 12 similar to the slotted aperturespreviously described and the U-shaped fastener member 28 is insertedthrough the apertures in panel 12, through apertures I7 in a shelfstandard strip 20 and then through the slotted apertures 26 in theupright member 16 of the frame.

it should be appreciated that although panel 12 is shown as a flatplanar sheet in FIG. 1, the side panel may be reenforce as panel 10. Theflat sheet was shown to illustrate the versatility of use of thefastener assembly of my invention. Also the panels 11 are shown in FIG.1 as being attached to panels and panel 12 in the prior conventionalmanner by C-clamps 36. It will be appreciated that the panels 11 mayalso be attached respectively to panel 10 and/or panel 12 by the U-shaped fastener member 28 and wedge member 32 as previously described.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, a panel assembly is shown wherein thefastener arrangement of my invention is utilized to both hold adjacentpanels together as well as provide fastening means for fastening asmooth face cover sheet to the opposite side of the panel frame toprovide a smooth backwall to the display booth. Such is particularlydesirable where it is desired to provide a smooth finished back to thebooth and cover the fasteners such as where an office space or the likeis to be provided behind the display booth. Since a substantial numberof individual components of this embodiment are substantially identicalto individual components of the assembly previously described, likereference numerals will be employed with reference to like components inthe drawings. An elongated angle strip 38 is positioned between thevertical members 16 of each of the reenforcing frames 14 of the panel 10and the shelf standard strip 20. The portion 40 the strip 38 lyingparallel to the vertical member 16 includes a plurality of slottedapertures 42 which are adapted to be aligned with the apertures 26 ofthe vertical members 16. The portion 40 is constructed to extend beyondthe edge of the vertical member at 44 by an amount substantially equalto the thickness of a second cover sheet 46. The distal outer ends ofthe angle strip 38 are bent in a direction substantially normal to theportion 40 to form flanges 48. The second cover sheet 46 is disposedbetween the flanges 48 and the edge of the vertical member 16. TheU-shaped fastener members 28 extend through the apertured slots 26 of avertical member 16 of a first panel 10, the apertured slots 42 of afirst angle strip 38, the apertured slots 27 of the shelf standard strip20, the apertured slots 42 of the second angle strip 38, and theapertured slots 26 of the vertical member 16 of the second panel. Thepanels vertical members 16, angled strips 38, shelf standard and coversheets 46 are firmly held in attached relationship by insertion of thewedge members 32 through the extended portion of the U-shaped fastenermembers 28.

In FIG. 8 another embodiment of U-shaped fastener member is shown forfastening two panels together in angled disposition with relation toeach other such as where a corner is desired in the booth or if desired,for fastening the back panels 10 and top panels 11 together. Thefastener member 50 of this embodiment includes a pair of U-shaped legportions 51 and 52 which are bent at an angle to each other. One of theleg portions 51 is inserted through and extends beyond the aperture 26of the vertical frame member 16 of a first panel 10 and the other legportion 52 of the fastener member is inserted through and extends beyondthe aperture 26 of the vertical member 16' of the other panel 10. Tofirmly affix the respective panels together, wedge members 32 and 32'are inserted in each of the extended leg portions 51 and 52,respectively, drawing the panels 10 and 10 together.

It should be understood that the embodiments of the invention which havebeen described are merely illustrative of a few of the applications ofthe principles of the invention. Numerous modifications may be made bythose skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit andscope of the invention.

laterally extending members, a fastener memberhaving a pair of U-shapedleg portions extending at a substantial ang e with respect to each otherand through and beyond each of the apertures respectively, and aseparate wedge member interlocking with each of said U-shaped legportions each to urge the portion of the corresponding U-shaped legportion which extends beyond its aperture in the direction of suchextension to firmly attach said first and second panels together in anangled disposition with respect to each other.

2. A booth assembly or the like including a plurality of panelsjuxtaposed with respect to each other to form the booth assembly, atleast some of said panels having a laterally extending member attachedto one face thereof, the improvement comprising, at least one aperturedefined in the laterally extending member of a first of said panels, anelongated substantially U-shaped fastener member mounted on a second ofthe panels adjacent said first panel and extending though and beyondsaid aperture, a wedge member interlocking with the extended portion ofsaid U-shaped fastener member to urge the portion of the U-shaped memberwhich extends beyond the aperture in the direction of said extension tofirmly attach said first and second panels together in said juxtaposedposi tion, said first panel including an aperture through which saidU-shaped fastener member extends, said U-shaped member including anchormeans bearing against said first panel when said U-shaped fastenermember is urged in the direction of said extension.

3. The assembly of claim 2 wherein said anchor means comprise flangesextending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinalaxis of said U-shaped fastener member.

4. The assembly of claim 2 wherein said anchor means comprise a secondextended portion and a second wedge member interlocking with said secondextended portion to urge the same in its direction of extension.

5. A booth assembly or the like including a plurality of panelsjuxtaposed with respect to each other to form the booth assembly, atleast some of said panels having a laterally extending member attachedto one face thereof, the improvement comprising, at least one aperturedefined in the laterally extending member of a first of said panels, anelongated substantially U-shaped fastener member mounted on a second ofthe panels adjacent said first panel and extending through and beyondsaid aperture, a wedge member interlocking with the extended portion ofsaid U-shaped fastener member to urge the portion of the U-shaped memberwhich extends beyond the aperture in the direction of said extension tofirmly attach said first and second panels together in said juxtaposedposition, an elongated strip disposed between said first and secondpanels, said strip having an aperture therein through which saidU-shaped fastener member extends, said wedge member urging said firstand second panels and said strip together in close sandwichedrelationship.

6. The assembly of claim 5 wherein said strip includes means formounting shelf member thereon.

7. The assembly of claim 5 including a flat planar sheet forming a faceon at least one of said panels, said strip extending beyond saidlaterally extending member, the extending portion of said stripincluding flange means overlying a portion of said sheet to mount saidsheet on the face of said one panel.

1. A booth assembly or the like including a plurality of panelsjuxtaposed with respect to each other to form the booth assembly, eachof at least two of said panels having a laterally extending memberattached to one face thereof, the improvement comprising, at least oneaperture defined in each of said laterally extending members, a fastenermember having a pair of U-shaped leg portions extending at a substantialangle with respect to each other and through and beyond each of theapertures respectively, and a separate wedge member interlocking witheach of said U-shaped leg portions each to urge the portion of thecorresponding U-shaped leg portion which extends beyond its aperture inthe direction of such extension to firmly attach said first and secondpanels together in an angled disposition with respect to each other. 2.A booth assembly or the like including a plurality of panels juxtaposedwith respect to each other to form the booth assembly, at least some ofsaid panels having a laterally extending member attached to one facethereof, the improvement comprising, at least one aperture defined inthe laterally extending member of a first of said panels, an elongatedsubstantially U-shaped fastener member mounted on a second of the panelsadjacent said first panel and extending though and beyond said aperture,a wedge member interlocking with the extended portion of said U-shapedfastener member to urge the portion of the U-shaped member which extendsbeyond the aperture in the direction of said extension to firmly attachsaid first and second panels together in said juxtaposed position, saidfirst panel including an aperture through which said U-shaped fastenermember extends, said U-shaped member including anchor means bearingagainst said first panel when said U-shaped fastener member is urged inthe direction of said extension.
 3. The assembly of claim 2 wherein saidanchor means comprise flanges extending in a direction substantiallyperpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said U-shaped fastener member.4. The assembly of claim 2 wherein said anchor means comprise a secondextended portion and a second wedge member interlocking with said secondextended portion to urge the same in its direction of extension.
 5. Abooth assembly or the like including a plurality of panels juxtaposedwith respect to each other to form the booth assembly, at least some ofsaid panels having a laterally extending member attached to one facethereof, the improvement comprising, at least one aperture defined inthe laterally extending member of a first of said panels, an elongatedsubstantially U-shaped fastener member mounted on a second of the panelsadjacent said first panel and extending through and beyond saidaperture, a wedge member interlocking with the extended portion of saidU-shaped fastener member to urge the portion of the U-shaped memberwhich extends beyond the aperture in the direction of said extension tofirmly attach said first and second panels together in said juxtaposedposition, an elongated strip disposed between said first anD secondpanels, said strip having an aperture therein through which saidU-shaped fastener member extends, said wedge member urging said firstand second panels and said strip together in close sandwichedrelationship.
 6. The assembly of claim 5 wherein said strip includesmeans for mounting shelf member thereon.
 7. The assembly of claim 5including a flat planar sheet forming a face on at least one of saidpanels, said strip extending beyond said laterally extending member, theextending portion of said strip including flange means overlying aportion of said sheet to mount said sheet on the face of said one panel.